Here is some advice on what your poetry journey might look like, from your first time at an open mic or workshop, right through to creating a longer and more substantial pieces of work. We and others in the poetry community are here to help you on this journey.
We all have to start somewhere, and we recommend these three first steps.
Open Mic: These are events where anyone can get up in front of people and give it a go. We aim for our affiliated open mics to be warm, inclusive and safe spaces to read or perform your work. Give open mics in your area a google, or check out what we're offering in different regions.
Workshops: What better place to learn than with a teacher! Lots of different places offer different kinds of workshops. depending on where you live and your age, keep an eye on local community centres, universities, art spaces etc. for when someone might be running a workshop.
Audience: Head along to watch an open mic or show. This is the best way to get comfortable in a space, and get to know the feeling and format of an event. It's also a great way to get to know people, you'll soon figure out who are the regulars and I'm sure they'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.
2. The Next Step
Once you've had some practise, it might be time to try something slightly higher stakes.
Poetry SLAM: Slam is a fun format that battles poets against each other. By the end of the night, one poet will be crowd the new Poetry Slam Champion. A competitive element is a good way to focus the mind and can be a good incentive to practise and prepare. Whether you like the format or not, it's a great experience. You can learn more about slam here, or sign up to compete in your region here.
Submit Your Poetry: There are lots of journals, magazines, books and websites that publish poetry from people just like you! Like slam, this is another competitive element where you will be faced with rejection. This can be really difficult, but rest assured it is a natural and character-building part of the process. Do it as much or as little as you want, but do it once or twice at least. Whatever happens, it's a great experience. To find places to submit, talk to other poets, talk to Google, and here is a great list of Aotearoa NZ opportunities.
3. Getting Serious
Once you start to build a collection of work that you want to share, it might be time to take things to the next level.
Featured Events: There are some events nationally (and internationally) that book poets as 'Featured Artists' for longer sets. They might be looking for a poet to perform/read for 10-40 minutes. Keep an ear out for these sorts of events, and remember they might not be exclusively 'poetry nights'. Many great music, cabaret and variety events like to book poets now and again. Make sure that you are being properly paid for these sorts of events. If they don't offer to pay you, you can ask or we can ask on your behalf. There are some occasions where not being paid is appropriate, like if it's for charity. You can see a brief Motif guide to getting paid here.
Let People Know: People will be more likely to know about you if you tell them. It might be time to start a social media account (facebook, insta, tiktok etc.) just for sharing your work and achievements. Let your fans know when and where you'll be performing, record yourself reading/performing your work, share links to other places you've been featured online. All this will help build your identity and profile as an artist.
4. Motif Poetry's Money Guide
Make sure you understand you and your poetry's worth, this is our quick guide to money and being paid for your work:
Paid ✅ Properly paid gigs is what we're all about.
Underpaid 👇 Not ideal.
Unpaid for a good cause, charity gig, no-one gets paid ☀️ These gigs are all good and help the world go round. Communication is key, best to confirm with everyone beforehand what the situation is.
Unpaid open mic, experimental, a space to try things out 🎤 These opportunities are really important. Who wants to have to be good all the time?
Koha, shared-profit, uncertain payment 🎲 A necessary evil.
Unpaid ❌ Unpaid for no reason? Nah.
5. Get out there - let's do this!
Now we're talking. You're developing your style of writing and performance. You have a profile online and you're probably figuring out what kind of stories you and only you can tell. Well done. It's up to you where you go from here, but many artists find that they are drawn towards making larger pieces of work. Often writing a book, a play, making a show or recording an album not only is a new challenge, but opens up a larger audience and the world of touring and festivals.
There's a lot more to all of that than we can cover here, so we'll end with a provocation. Keep writing. Keep making. Keep pushing yourself to grow. Keep telling your story and the stories of your community. Speak truth to power and use your magic for good.
If you want to speak to the Motif team, ask a question, hire a poet, or start your own poetry journey – then you can fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch!
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